5 Damn Good Reasons Why the Underground Market Must Go On

Last night at the Underground Market at Public Works, the buzz was that ForageSF had been served a "cease and desist" notice from the Health Department for all future markets. What this could most immediately mean is that the Underground Market's days are numbered (or already over). It could also mean that the market could only exist in a very limited way in the future.

Here are five damn good reasons for all of us to fight for the Underground Market, show our support, and go and sign up to be on their e-mail list to hear all the news (word on the street is you may not be able to get into future markets if you don't do this).

Image via Bay Area Bites

1. Community: If you've ever been to the market, you may have noticed that people actually talk to strangers at these events. Yes, strangers. I know, in San Francisco. We're usually so sick of ending up in conversations with crazies that we don't make an effort to connect with people in our community. Whether you're talking to a vendor about where the ingredients in his/her food come from or you're talking to a cute dude at the bar, you're connecting with others in the city over food. And we all know food is the best thing to bond over (okay, yeah, maybe alcohol is the best, but food is a close second).

2. Openness and Sharing: If you're a vendor, the market fosters this sense of sharing and openness. You barter for foods and services, get to know the other vendors, and start talking about partnerships over warm cookies and miniature pies. The market is like an industry meet-up without the pressure. It's just the fun parts. Obviously, I'm new to all this, but I don't know of any other market that allows for such open and creative collaboration between vendors. This is how new, exciting partnerships and ideas are formed.

3. Ooh La La Lumpia. Okay, not just Ooh La La Lumpia, but all the vendors. How often do you get kim chi quesadillas? Or Vietnamese pot pies? Or pork mole tamales wrapped in banana leaves? Or sourdough grilled cheese cooked over a hot brick (yes, I said it, over a hot brick wrapped in foil - it is perfection)? I could go on, but I think it's unnecessary. We're so lucky to be able to have such interesting foods all in one place. We could still go to the various food cart fests in the city, but then point #2 (above) would be missing.

4. The Economy: I don't know if you noticed, but, like, the economy is kinda bad right now. Like I couldn't even afford to buy groceries last week. I ate ice cream sandwiches and bought candy bars from the vending machine at work for lunch. One day, I waited for a meeting to end just so I could swipe a bagel from the leftovers pile for a snack. Anyway, that's embarrassing and sort of beside the point.

Basically, a bad economy means that there is less financial room for creative risks. People stop opening businesses for fear that they won't have a safety net when times get tougher. And, yet, when you go to the Underground Market, you can feast your eyes on creativity at every turn. Barriers to entry are low for the market (stalls are $50 each) and this allows new vendors to experiment more and learn more before throwing their life savings into a business that needs fine-tuning. I heard from several vendors that they were planning to buy spaces in the next couple months, but that they were selling at the market in the meantime to get experience and talk to customers.

5. Wholesome Fun: It's pretty damn wholesome to hang out at the market, even if there is a full bar. And it's hard to find good, wholesome fun these days. I'm sick of standing in someone's barf while I'm waiting in line for the bathroom at a club (yes, I am referring to you, DNA Lounge). Give me pulled pork sandwiches over drunk dudes bro-ing it up at the bar any day.

I'm now wondering what, if anything, the many fans of the market can do to help keep it alive. Ideas? Suggestions? Words of love and encouragement?